The combination of Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Havoc, Syriana) and Matthew McConaughey (Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar) was the secret recipe we needed, we just didn't know it. Gaghan, more a writer than a director, works in the dark. That is to say, his stories are very heavy, sometimes highlight the worst in us, and so can be a bit daunting even when they're strong. McConaughey, who can be a complete goof ball, has also ...Read the entire review

Imagine a film whose first half resembles a Neil Simon play set in a Western frontier cabin. Characters sitting in their designated seats, important conversations delivered one at a time, in-the-door-out-the-door comedy, a ruse that's readily apparent but not quite decipherable. And then imagine a film whose second half equals the terror & vomit-inducing injury of the pawn shop basement scene in Pulp Fiction. Blood, shotguns, testicles, that feeling in your stomach that you never want ...Read the entire review

Grand cinematography shot on Ultra Panavision 70, a new soundtrack from legendary and prolific composure Ennio Morricone, and a cast with a legacy that spreads from Reservoir Dogs to Django Unchained hallmark the latest film from Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight. That's a lot of front-loaded, sight-unseen prestige going on there for the latest installment in the director's violent and darkly comedic oeuvre, complimented by the recent success he had with his Jamie Foxx revenge vehicle that proved himself capable of infusing his signature style with the mythical swagger of gunslingers, dastardly villains, and personal vendettas. The journey to getting this film made and the fanfare following it to the cinemas is, of course, quite noteworthy, and ...Read the entire review

After successfully taking home the Oscar gold for his writing in Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino is releasing his next feature just in time for Christmas. Regardless of whether or not you've been paying much attention to trailers or clips, you know what to expect: witty writing, superb performances, and racism that inevitably results in sudden bursts of extreme violence. The Hateful Eight fulfills all of that criteria, but Tarantino once again manages to impress with what will surely be considered to be one of the best films of 2015. If the words "Quentin Tarantino" and "western" capture your interest, then you'll likely think the same way.

With a more progressive era comes more films and television shows that are willing to assimilate once suppressed narratives. This especially holds true for LGBT filmmaking, which has certainly had more of a platform to speak on ever since the fight for marriage equality truly made progress. It's absolutely great that we're finally able to see stories told from the perspective of individuals, other than straight white men. However, many of these LGBT features have come to have a formula of their own, which have become just as tired as any other stereotypical structure in media. Director Todd Haynes' Carol has been receiving an abundance of positive responses from across the festival circuit, although it felt like nothing more to me than the typical romantic drama.Read the entire review
]]> Macbeth [AFI FEST 2015]Theatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=70017
Sat, 07 Nov 2015 05:58:52 PSTRecommended

Shakespeare's works continue to live on in various forms of media. Whether it's on television, in your nearest cinema, or somehow adapted into some form of literature, his tragedies will continue to leave their mark from one media text to another. Screenwriters Jacob Koskoff, Michael Lesslie, and Todd Louiso have adapted the infamous Macbeth for director Justin Kurzel. Those who know the story and the overall tone will know exactly what they're getting into. Otherwise, this adaptation in particular may leave more than a few blanks that would require some filling in.

One day on the battlefield, Macbeth (Michael Fassbender) receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become the King of Scotland. Uncertain of how he should proceed, he initially d...Read the entire review
]]> SouthpawTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=69380
Fri, 24 Jul 2015 07:15:12 PDTHighly Recommended

In 2001, Antoine Fuqua directed Training Day. The film would earn Ethan Hawke an Oscar nomination and Denzel Washington a Best Actor win. Since then, Fuqua has been struggling to produce another hit. Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter, Olympus Has Fallen, The Equalizer; all action, all gritty, all received with the same lukewarm sentiments, but none living up to the standard he inadvertently set for himself fourteen years ago. What may have been missing all those years was a film with dark realism, a plot that audiences could believe and support, a human story that meant something more than gunshots, speaking to us in...Read the entire review

I don't really like to be scared. I enjoy horror as a genre, but for me it's more about the entertainment of the frequent poor quality, the imagination behind the monsters, the over-the-top deaths, the creepy cabins. I don't necessarily want ghosts popping out from under beds, angry after one hundred years of curse, ready to steal children's souls. So creature features, slashers, b-movies, campy flicks; that's what I go for. Ghosts, hauntings, sing-song rhymes, the boogie man; too in-your-face, too sensationalist, and, if I'm being honest, a bit too scary. It Follows just happens to be about none of these things, becoming a horror of...Read the entire review

I went with my family to see Paddington as part of my son's birthday. It wasn't a movie I sought out or ever thought would be a fine film; I went because it was the only age-appropriate kid's movie playing at the time. It was the first time my son had been to the theatre, so for that reason this film will always be memorable to me. So I went in not expecting much, knowing that I would remember this event whether the movie was good or bad, but never expecting actual quality to come across the screen in the form of a fuzzy bear with a British accent. Perhaps it was the English setting, the classic storybook feel, the simple characters, or the i...Read the entire review

Most family films have certainly achieved a new direction in tone over the past few years. Some have become considerably darker in both their storytelling and atmosphere, while others could quite possibly lower an entire family's IQ with its absurdly dumb humor. There's a time and place for both of these types of family features, but few of them have the ability to return adults to their childhood, even if only for 90-something minutes. Paddington achieved just that for me. I didn't know much about this lovable bear before seeing the film, but it didn't take long for the film to completely immerse me in its delightful sense of humor and personality. If you take the family out for only one film this season, this should be it.

With a large crop of Oscar-worthy films out this year, it's inevitable that some excellent ones are going to get swept under the rug. Earlier in the year films like The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, and A Most Wanted Man made splashes. Later, it would be Birdman, Whiplash, Gone Girl, The Theory of Everything, and Interstellar that would impress. Then, around Christmas, we were walloped with Unbroken, Into the Woods, Selma, Foxcatcher, American Sniper, and A Most Violent Year. There are just too many well-crafted movies; some just won't make the cut. The Imitation Game might be the one t...Read the entire review

Alan Turing has had quite a renaissance in the last couple of years, as his accomplishments and travails have been celebrated in the media and the Queen of England apologized on behalf of the man's home country for the persecution that led to his suicide some sixty years ago. Though, as my friends who are more in touch with computer-type things tell me, Turing should have been on my radar long ago. Cinema fans know his work indirectly. You know that scene in Blade Runner where the replicant reveals himself after as series of abstract questions? "The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't"? That's a version of what is called the T...Read the entire review

Tim Burton is not only known as a filmmaker, but as an artist who applies his strange signature style to nearly every picture that he's involved with. Especially when looking at his most recent films, he's been considered fairly "hit-and-miss." Most of his work is rooted in fantasy, as he has become known to bring audiences into various different intriguing worlds. While the upcoming Big Eyes occasionally has elements of dream-like execution, it's much more rooted within reality than Burton's previous works. This time, he's working with a biopic in The Weinstein Company's hopeful Oscar picture. Enlisting tremendous talents in front of the camera, is this Tim Burton's masterpiece, or Oscar bait that has been made to dangle in front of Academy members?

Bill Murray has a free pass in my book. He's done so much with his career and given us so many hits to love until we die that he gets the benefit of the doubt in every film going forward. That might not be fair, but he's earned it. Meatballs, Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Scrooged, What About Bob?, Groundhog Day; classics all. And then in his later years Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Lost in Translation, Hyde Park on Hudson; visceral roles that proved that he's much more than a funnyman. But there's that old adage "what have you done for me lately?" and I think that applies here, as Murray hasn't had any ...Read the entire review

The irrepressible and irascible Bill Murray stars in St. Vincent, his entry in the grumpy-old-man genre, something that in and of itself carries no shame, though you might want to come to this with a tad bit of cynicism anyway: St. Vincent is a comedy that pairs the grumpy old man with a kid.

Murray plays Vincent, or Vin to his friends, a long-time New Yorker who lives on his own in the suburbs in a house with a driveway and a white picket fence. At the start of St. Vincent, a besotted Vin backs his car over said fence, demolishing it and his mailbox. Shortly thereafter, he slips on a piece of ice while feeding his cat, bangs his head, and nearly dies. As a set-up to a motion picture, it's one hell of a crystal ball into my future. Glad I drink my whisk...Read the entire review

The personal journey has the power to completely change our perspective of the world around us. Many people around the world have become inspired to venture on such an adventure in order to truly find themselves. This has also provided filmmakers with the opportunity to put a fascinating journey on film. In this case, screenwriter Marion Nelson has adapted Robyn Davidson's book based off of her own experience. Given that this is based upon a true story, this is an excellent opportunity for the audience to join in on this fantastic journey. Not only should it provide a fascinating atmosphere, but it should allow us to get inside the mind of a woman trying to find herself. However, the film never quite allows us to get that close.

After her father went on a treacherous jo...Read the entire review
]]> The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (Him/Her/Them)Theatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=65436
Wed, 10 Sep 2014 08:15:37 PDTHighly Recommended

The romantic drama category has been greatly expanding over the past few years. In 2013, Blue is the Warmest Color made big waves throughout the art cinema community with its bold style and sexual expression. Writer/director Ned Benson also has a lot to say in his impactful feature debut The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. The initial three-hour long film is composed of titles Him and Her. However, the distributor created a much shorter version called Them, which assumes a third-party perspective in order to provide a faster paced picture. If you're a true film lover, you'll give this story three hours of your day, and be glad that you did.

I first read The Giver when I was around 11 years old. Since then, I've probably read it four more times. In my book, that makes it one of the greats. I won't say it's the most well-written novel in history, though Lois Lowry does a fine job, but it's a story that sticks with you & stands out as a stroke of genius. What makes it so wonderful and so rereadable is that it changes each time you check it out. Whatever age you are, whatever experiences you've had, wherever you are in life right now; these things affect how you view the story, what you take as the moral, and which way you interpret the ending. It's a very subjective book...Read the entire review

It has been quite some time since the first Sin City has graced silver screens. In fact, it's been a whole nine years! That's a long time to anticipate a follow-up. The first feature came across like a breath of fresh air with its stunning sense of visuals and intense brutal nature. Even fans of the neo-noir comics were impressed by the film adaptation, which captivated audiences around the world. With Sin City: A Dame to Kill For finally being released, it leaves us wondering if filmmakers Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez took too long to get the project moving. As far as the feature's material goes, this follow-up proves that they're still delivering the goods.

Similar to 2005's Sin City, the film is composed of several stories narrated from the ...Read the entire review
]]> The GiverTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=65182
Thu, 14 Aug 2014 19:38:37 PDTRent It

The YA (young adult) book-to-film adaptations have become huge in cinema. Films such as The Hunger Games and Divergent have proven that such stories that involve one maturing in a futuristic dystopia can be quite intriguing. Before either of those books were even a thought, The Giver was a well-known book. Perhaps this is one of the inspirations for the novels that were to come. However, it has taken the filmmakers quite a long time to bring this adaptation to the silver screen. My primary concern going in was whether or not it would feel like more of the same, given that all of these more recent stories have been translated into film for years. Even with a capable cast, director Phillip Noyce's The Giver doesn't quite hit its mark.

Delays in the American release of Snowpiercer means its cataclysmic science-fiction event will no longer have a chance of being prophetic, but no matter. Bong Joon-ho's English-language debut is still likely to take the crown as the most original, entertaining movie of the summer of 2014.

Snowpiercer takes place in a so-close-you-can-almost-see-it future where, following a disastrous attempt to curb global warning by introducing a cooling agent into the ecosystem in July 2014, the entire Earth froze completely. The only surviving humans climbed into a massive train mounted on a circular track. For the last eighteen years, they have rounded this path once every 365 days. In terms of social structure, life has carried on much as it has for centuries: the poor peop...Read the entire review

The Weinstein Company isn't the first - and most certainly won't be the last - film distributor to attempt to make cuts to a film before putting it in front of audiences across the nation. Despite the fact that Joon-ho Bong's Snowpiercer was widely welcomed with open arms by many viewers around the world previously, Weinstein had some changes he wanted to make. Filmmaker Joon-ho Bong wasn't too happy about this, and convinced the distributor head to release it as is. Under most circumstances, it's always better to support an artist's vision and witness how the picture was meant to play out. I might not be entirely sure about what Weinstein wanted to cut, although there were ultimately cuts that I would have made myself. However, not only does the picture need some edits...Read the entire review
]]> The Immigrant (2014)Theatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=64727
Thu, 15 May 2014 18:39:16 PDTRent It

The idea of pursuing the American dream has been depicted in many different forms. Whether it's in literature, art, music, or film, they generally give a similar message. The dream appears to be just that - a dream. People from around the world can try to chase it, but it seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel that one can never seem to reach. This is most certainly an underlying theme in filmmaker James Gray's The Immigrant. He tells the story of a woman and the emotional hardships that she's forced to endure in order to achieve the American dream of freedom, opportunity, and happiness. Will she achieve it, and if so, at what cost? These are the questions that will keep audiences anticipating our lead woman's next move.

It's a fairly common joke, almost a parlour game, to fantasize about what you might do with a time machine. Standard answers are to kill Hitler or view some historic event, maybe revisit a favorite memory. After watching Errol Morris' documentary about Donald Rumsfekd, The Unknown Known, I think I'd go hang with a post-1984 George Orwell and show him this movie. It might actually blow his mind a little too much to realize how prescient he really was.

I say this because a major component of 1984 was how language would eventually be manipulated to the point where it lost all meaning. Rumsfeld does this in a lot of ways, though it's arguable how much he does this for the purpose of pulling the wool over the eyes of the public and how much he does it to convi...Read the entire review

Some film productions may have some of the most talented players in the industry, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a winner of a film. Numerous motion pictures have failed, even with the involvement of Oscar-winners and other renowned names involved. While we all have our favorite stars, it's important to remember that the names involved in the production aren't always everything. Unfortunately, this is the case when it comes to August: Osage County. All of the pieces that one would expect to see from a fantastic film are present, but none of them are able to come together in order to create one cohesive piece. Distributed by The Weinstein Company with producer George Clooney and a top-notch cast (for the most part) have come together to bring this Pullitzer ...Read the entire review
]]> PhilomenaTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=62142
Tue, 26 Nov 2013 09:35:07 PSTRecommended

If you see Philomena without your parents, you're probably going to go home and tell them to go see it immediately afterwards. Especially your mom. Or your grandmother. It could be a "whole family" selection for the day after Thanksgiving.

This is yet another "based on a true story" drama. It stars Steven Coogan (known in family circles as Octavius in the Night at the Museum movies) as Martin Sixsmith, a disgraced reporter and political spin doctor who stumbles onto the story of a lifetime--though one he only tackles begrudgingly. At a party, the catering waitress (Anna Martin Maxwell) tells him that her mother, Philomena (Dame Judi Dench, Read the entire review

You might want to check your own bank balance before you buy your ticket for Inequality for All. Depending on how significant the percentage of what's there will go toward your admission, some of this money-minded documentary might hit you pretty hard. "How much is in your checking account?" is a regular question that the film's central commentator, Robert Reich, asks of the regular citizens he interviews. The answer never amounts to much.

Reich knows of what he speaks when he talks about tough economic times. He was the former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, and is currently a lecturer at UC Berkeley. Jacob Kornbluth's film is based on Reich's writing and lectures. The subject is the growing disparity between the wages made at the very top of American industry...Read the entire review

Preamble: As a big Wong Kar-Wai fan, I feel I need to write two reviews of his new movie The Grandmaster, his first since 2007's much misunderstood My Blueberry Nights. As with that film, his English-language debut, The Grandmaster seems to have arrived on U.S. shores with baggage it doesn't really deserve to carry. In this case, a much ballyhooed and bemoaned new cut made specifically for American audiences.

Having seen both the original international version and the new theatrical release, prepared by Wong in deference to his North American distributors, I'm faced with the conundrum of writing a review that recommends whether or not my specific readership should go see The...Read the entire review

My reviewing duties at DVD Talk allow me to screen a wide variety of films. By happenstance, I have watched a number of tough films of late, both narrative and documentary. These films speak to cruelty and compassion, and pose disturbing, perhaps unanswerable questions about human nature. Bully is such a film. Lee Hirsch's documentary reveals the subjective effects of bullying through intimate portraits of several middle and high school children. The stories are sad, and parents recall the ...Read the entire review

Waxing excitedly about a Quentin Tarantino movie is almost starting to feel like a knee-jerk reaction. As a writer, I've been here, done it before. Tarantino makes it pretty easy, though. It probably doesn't hurt that he only makes a feature film every couple of years, but when he does, they are insanely easy to like. He represents the filmmaker as a showman, the cineaste who entertains first and foremost, but with a flair all his own. There is a scene in his latest, Django Unchained, where Christoph Waltz, playing the bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz, is talking about buying a slave to put in the fight ring, and he expresses his desire to have a gimmick to sell the warrior. The man he is going to buy from, Leonardo DiCaprio's Calvin Candie, corrects him and says first he ...Read the entire review

Quentin Tarantino may be a writer, director, producer, and an actor, but he's also an inventor of his very own genre. With movies such as Pulp Fiction, Tarantino has secured himself as one of the most talented filmmakers in modern filmmaking. His newest feature goes by the name of Django Unchained and word-of-mouth has had this film spreading like wildfire. However, it's the most controversial film of Tarantino's career thus far. When it comes to the time period where slave trades occurred, filmmakers must tread the material very cautiously, otherwise they just might be considered insensitive or racist. Django Unchained tells an exceptional story in in a time period that America will never be proud of.

The economic and political state that we have been in affects everybody in some way. Killing Them Softly reflects this in the form of a crime thriller that follows a fairly simple plot, but writer/director Andrew Dominik has a lot to say with this project. He has made a bold mood making this film have such heavy political underpinnings, especially since it will split audiences down the middle. I'm definitely one of the viewers who truly enjoyed this feature. Dominik has delivered an incredibly well-crafted thriller with dark humor laced throughout. It kept me captivated from its opening scene until the credits started to roll. Unfortunately, a large amount of the film was left on the cutting room floor. This is a great film, but some of that footage could have been the ...Read the entire review
]]> Silver Linings PlaybookTheatricalhttp://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=58853
Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:32:28 PSTHighly Recommended

Only a year after releasing the Academy Award-winning drama The Fighter, David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook is already receiving Oscar buzz. While he doesn't stray from the drama genre, there's a comedic element mixed into this adaptation of the novel by Matthew Quick. With an interesting premise, the feature premiered at multiple festivals and received primarily positive feedback. When a motion picture is spoken of so highly after an entire festival, moviegoers who haven't seen it ask an important question: Is it really as good as people keep saying it is? While it isn't absolute perfection, this is a well-crafted piece of filmmaking that will satisfy moviegoers.

Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything after being released from a mental ...Read the entire review
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